I love using mushrooms in my cooking, and you can always lighten up your family favorite recipes by using finely-chopped, umami-rich mushrooms for a portion of ground meat. Mushrooms and ground meat blend seamlessly to add an extra serving of vegetables to the plate by enhancing, extending or replacing the meat. Finely chopped mushrooms look similar and blend seamlessly with meat, so classics can be healthier without losing taste or satisfying texture. A great example of this is my Baked Spaghetti with Mushrooms, but there’s so many unique ways to use mushrooms in your cooking. Using more mushrooms reduces calories, fat and actually creates a healthier main dish (I actually think it tastes better too)! With the mushroom and meat blend, you don’t necessarily have to consume large quantities of meat to feel full and satiated, and your dish will also be more economical. Also, mushrooms bring important nutrients to your diet. See my blog post on 7 health benefits of mushrooms.

Mushrooms are still available in their pink packaging for Breast Cancer awareness so add some of these recipes to your menu list! This post is sponsored by Mushroom Council, but all opinions are my own. I love mushrooms!